In times of need
by TitaniaSarys
Summary: Claire is a single mom of three. But when she needs help, the only person who can help her and her children is Owen, her neighbor who has a dog named Blue. Neighbor AU.
1. Chapter 1

The tiny footsteps leading to Claire's office made her look up from her papers. "Mom, can we use the glue? Leo wants to make paper towers for his toy soldiers."

Claire smiled as she looked at her daughter. "Of course, honey. But be careful with it and use gloves, the white one dries very fast and you'll stick your fingers together if you're not careful."

"Thanks mom!" the girl said before disappearing into the corridor, leaving the door to Claire's office open.

It wasn't always like that on Saturdays.

Claire had a busy life and a demanding job that she wouldn't trade for the world. But fortunately, her boss understood that she was a single mom of three who had worked her butt off for her career before her bundles of joy came into her life. Therefore, they had agreed that Claire would work her basic quota of hours in the office in town and any extra hour would be spent at home. During the last couple of years, Claire had developed exceptional management skills in order to keep in check both her work and her family when it came to organization. Her kids knew that, sometimes, mommy had to work at home and that she needed to focus on her job, but they also knew that she stayed those extra hours at home to be with them.

Claire was very good at explaining things and finding funny ways to do things, especially things her children didn't want to do, like chores. She was always well organized and made sure her children learned to be as well. She was adamant about giving them the best education she could, both in school and at home, but also insisted they lived their children lives by going to play dates, spending as much time as she could with them and making sure they always felt loved, safe and happy.

Her children were the reason she had moved to the suburbs, had bought a house big enough for the four of them with a garden, so they could play safely outside. She had set a swing in the back yard and had even saved a portion of her garden to plant roses and other flowers, both to her and her girls' delight, but there was always something more important to do than focus on the garden. The house was impeccable otherwise, when Claire didn't have the time to clean it, she hired someone, but she tried to do everything herself. Usually, the Saturdays were spent on cleaning, the kids helping her out because she promised them they'd bake cookies later. Sundays were usually spent leisurely, either in the garden when the weather was nice or at the cinema or the park. Claire's family didn't often visit her sister Karen's family because of the long drive, but Claire made sure to visit for every single holiday.

But this Saturday, Claire had to work. The company was about to sign an important contract and Claire was the one who was best qualified to prepare all the paperwork and the presentation, although she would do it alongside her boss, Mr. Masrani. She just needed a couple of hours to finish what was left and then she'd have the rest of the day to be with her children.

She smiled as she looked at the picture standing proudly on her desk, right next to her computer and the cup of coffee she was nursing for the last hour. The picture dated back to the latest winter holidays. She had taken the kids to Karen. Leo had spent the entire week playing video games with Zach and Grey despite the fact that his cousins were a lot older than him. As for Kat and Eli, her twin daughters, they were just happy to spend some time with Karen and Scott, Karen's husband, even took them to the ranch not very far from their house that his friend owned. They couldn't ride the horses but were just happy to pet and feed them.

The picture was taken by Karen right after Claire had fallen to the constant snowballs thrown in her face. Kat and Eli were lying in the snow next to her while Leo was sitting on her back and everyone was laughing. It was one of Karen's favorites, because it was one of those rare pictures in which Claire seemed truly carefree, free from her demanding job, free from the pressure and purely happy. Of course, Claire was happy with her children, but she couldn't deny that her job was stressful, so stressful that sometimes, the only reason that kept her going was the three little stars that were currently butchering the colored papers she had bought last week.

She had had Katherine and Elisabeth almost ten years ago and her partner at that time, a certain John that she promised herself she would not name again, had been unhelpful. The pregnancy was a difficult one, with a lot of extra exams and John had only been complaining and freaking out the entire time. But Claire had bit her tongue and had told him things would get better. He only calmed down when he saw the girls' faces for the first time. Taking care of two babies at the same time was no joke and Claire feared John might leave, but he stayed and the three years that followed were among the best years of her life. John was a good father, had a decent job and was even happy to raise two beautiful baby girls.

But then, Claire became pregnant again, and the nightmare began anew. Her second pregnancy was even harder to go through than the last one and during her eight month, it got so bad that Claire and her baby almost didn't make it. It was the last straw for John who packed his bags and dropped their girls at Karen's place before leaving without saying another word. Claire spent the rest of her pregnancy at the hospital and gave birth to Leopold, but because of some health issues, they both had to stay an extra month at the hospital.

In the meantime, Scott threatened to kill John and Karen took care of Eli and Kat. When Claire and Leo got out of the hospital, they stayed with Karen for a good six months before Claire got her life around. She found a new job at Masrani Corps, she found a new house in a new city and she erased every trace of John from her and her children's lives. And when he showed up at Karen's place, right before Claire moved, Scott punched him so hard, John didn't stick around. He took one look at baby Leo, said hi to the girls and left with a "I'm sorry" to Claire. She hadn't seen him or heard from him since.

Kat and Eli looked like miniature versions of Claire with their bright red hair and freckles. But they had their father's blue eyes. Leo, on the other hand, had John's dark brown hair but he had a few discreet freckles on his nose and eyes of the deepest green. Claire loved them all equally and wasn't bothered by the fact that she saw which trait their children got from her and which one they got from their father, because to her, they were all unique. And when she truly felt lonely, she reminded herself that it was a good thing she never married John.

She had a very strict schedule that she did her best to abide to and that schedule included all of her meetings and appointments, the deadlines for her papers but on weekends, it consisted mostly of time she would spent with her children and she smiled as her perfectly manicured fingers stroked her paper schedule. She only had one document left to sign and then she would be done.

This time, it was Kat that came into her office some fifteen minutes later. "Mommy, can we use your camera to take a picture? We finished the paper towers." Claire's heart fell a little in her chest at her daughter's question. Kat hadn't asked when she was done or if she could come to see the towers. Her children knew that Claire's work was important, but they also knew it was important to Claire, that it was a trait of her personality and they acted accordingly. Claire loved her children for that and always made sure to spend some special time with them when she had to work exceptionally on Saturdays.

Claire whipped her nose on a tissue – she was sure it was because of the flowers her neighbor had planted the other day, she might be allergic and her window was wide open – before smiling to her daughter, her eyes tired of all the work. She had only one document left to read and sign before she was done, but she stood up nonetheless to grab the camera from the nearby cabinet.

"Why don't you start taking pictures and I'll…" her head spun a little as she stood up too quickly, but it faded away as she moved around her desk to tickle her daughter. "…sign those last papers and then join you. We can all make pancakes then."

"Really?" Kat beamed once her laughter subsided.

"Really. Now, take…" she opened the cabinet but the dizziness returned and she put a hand to her forehead to stop the room from spinning. She wasn't wearing her usual heels, staying barefoot in the house, but her bare knees buckled under her flower skirt. "…this…" she slurred, trying to focus on the camera standing a few inches from her face.

But the world was spinning and her ears were ringing. She barely had time to slow down her fall by trying to catch herself on the cabinet, nearly avoiding smacking her head against it before her body hit the ground, the sound muffled by the red carpet.


	2. Chapter 2

Owen was opening his first beer of the late afternoon when there was a small knock on his door. He frowned, wondering who it could be. It couldn't be work, because they would have called instead and he was free that day. Unless it was Barry and Owen wouldn't be surprised to see him today as it often happened that his best friend came by to hang out and play some pool – Owen had just set up his new table in the living room after all – but he didn't think it was him.

It could be someone random, like kids selling cookies or asking if they could have their ball back – it happened once or twice that a ball got stuck in the branches of the tree in his front lawn – it could actually be anyone. So, he slowly made his way to his front door, ignoring the piles of stuff here and there. Blue, his German shepherd, only raised her head from where she was lying at the foot of Owen's couch, when she heard the door chime.

"I'm coming!" Owen said gruffly before opening the door.

He didn't see anyone at first, but a small tug at his shirt revealed the girl that was waiting on his porch. "Hi Owen," she said, but her usual smile wasn't there.

Owen looked the girl over and spotted the red ribbon on one of her curls. "Hi Eli," he answered, remembering that Kat wasn't a fan of red – he did his best not to mix up the girls' names and had created a whole bunch of clues to look for to recognize them – before he hastily put his beer bottle away.

"What can I do for you?"

He had moved into this house two years prior, the Dearing family next-door already there. He often saw the kids play in the garden, as he had a good view from the back window of his own living room but also because he often tinkered with his bike in the back yard or trained Blue on sunny days. The kids were always polite and he couldn't picture a time when he saw them anything else than happy. The kind of happy that sometimes made him jealous until he remembered that they were just kids and that they deserved to be happy for as long as they could.

From his point of view, the Dearings were good people, never annoying their neighbors, always nice and polite. He had invited the kids in his garden – under their mother's watchful eyes – a few times when he was training Blue. And he couldn't deny he had a crush on Claire Dearing. At the same time, they couldn't be more different, but he also found out that they had similar tastes in pop culture and other things. It took him six months to figure out that Claire was a single mother, although he didn't know what had happened to the kids' father. And he didn't ask.

They actually went on a date last year and everything was great until Owen said something he shouldn't have. He couldn't remember what it was, but he was not so sober and had said something about Claire's compulsive organization. She, in turn, said something she shouldn't have about his care and things had escalated until they both decided that they should just be neighbors. It was difficult the first months, but eventually things went back to the way they were before. Except for the fact that Owen was just dying to ask her for a second chance and to prove to her that he wasn't the ass he had been that night. He was still planning a way to ask her out again.

"Mommy said that you are someone who can be trusted in case we need your help and so I came. Something happened to mommy!"

Owen didn't waste another second; he grabbed his keys, told Blue to stay put and locked his door before he followed Eli into her house, his beer long forgotten. He only had seen glimpses of the Dearings' house when their door was sometimes open or the little he could see through windows that weren't curtained. Not that he was nosy, but he couldn't help but notice that he was right about Claire's organizational needs since the house was perfectly ordered.

Eli took him by the hand and led him to the office where Leo and Kat were gently shaking their mother's unconscious form. Claire was lying on her side, her red hair shielding half of her face. She wore a floral straight skirt that brushed the top of her knees and a white top that complemented her carnation. Owen immediately went to his knees next to her and checked if she was breathing. Then he gently rolled her on her back after looking if she broke anything. But she didn't seem to have any external injury from what he could see. He was no doctor, but he had seen his fair share of injuries in the navy.

Claire was wheezing and she didn't seem to wake up, despite her children crying for her to open her eyes and Owen asking her to. Her skin was clammy to the touch and her face was pale, whereas it usually was luminescent – Owen knew that since he spent a lot of time watching her face, resulting in him sometimes looking like a creep and forgetting he was looking for a way to ask her out – she also seemed to have a fever and her nose was wet, maybe from allergies.

It was obvious she fell – one look at her desk and Owen knew she was working – but she didn't seem to have hurt herself. He saw that Kat was holding the house phone and had already dialed 911. She gave him the phone when someone picked up.

Owen listened carefully to everything the person at the end of the line said, he checked other symptoms, explained who he was and what they were doing, the children filled him in, especially Kat who saw Claire fall. They waited for an ambulance and all the while Owen did his best to reassure the kids while keeping an eye on Claire's vitals which remained consistently the same.

Once the medics arrived and took Claire to the hospital, Owen turned to the kids. They all stood in their front lawn, some of the neighbors looking through their windows or even opening their doors to see what was going on. Owen crouched in front of Leo and gently hugged all three kids. They did their best not to cry too much before that, not really knowing what was happening to their mom, but the sight of the ambulance and the noise of the sirens and now, Owen's hug, was more than enough to make them cry their eyes out.

"Your mom will be safe now, the doctors will figure out what happened to her," he told them.

"Will mommy get better?" Leo asked, wiping his tears as best as he could.

"Yes, that's why she's going to the hospital, so the doctors can heal her," Owen said. He seemed to think for a while. "Where does your aunt live?" He knew that Claire had a sister, had heard about a certain aunt Karen here and there and he had seen her face on some pictures while he crossed the house following Eli, but he didn't know anything else. Maybe she lived downtown or maybe she wasn't even on speaking terms with Claire.

"Aunt Karen lives far away. She won't be able to get here tonight," Kat said. Owen had noticed that she was the one that remained the calmest, maybe because she was the oldest twin.

"Maybe we can call her to let her know, hmm?" Owen asked and all three kids nodded. "Your mom trusts me, right?" He remembered Eli telling him that and despite their disaster of a date, Claire hadn't been hostile to his presence. "And you guys like me, right?" They all nodded. "So, seeing as your aunt can't be here for you guys, how about I take care of you while your mom can't?"

In the end, Owen took the kids to the hospital in his car. He hesitated about bringing Blue, thinking she might be of some comfort, especially to Leo who seemed to love her, but he decided against it. He wasn't even sure his dog would be allowed inside the hospital walls. Once at the hospital, a nurse took them to a waiting area and they just sat there. Owen called Karen (he made sure to look up her number from the Dearings house phone) and explained to her what had happened. He promised to call her as soon as they knew more about Claire and the waiting game continued.

A good half-hour after they arrived, a doctor came out and told them that Claire had a burnout. It explained her fatigue, her dizziness but the fever was actually due to the flu she had caught because her immune system was weaker because of the burnout. He also said that they stabilized her and that she should get better now that she was resting. He also said she shouldn't go back to work for at least a week and he refused to sign her out of the hospital for at least twenty-four hours.

It was late in the evening when Owen was shaken awake by a nurse who told him Claire had regained consciousness. Her half-asleep kids talked to her and then it was Owen's turn. He promised her he would take care of them, that he would drive them home and watch over them that night, make sure they were safe, fed and rested. He also promised to bring them back tomorrow when Claire would be discharged and to also bring her a fresh set of clothes so she could change.

Despite the fact that their first date didn't work out, Claire trusted Owen. She knew him enough to know he would make good on his promises and that her children were safe with him. Karen also promised to come by on Sunday evening and insisted she would stay for at least two days, because she had those days off and that she couldn't bare her husband's presence – they had another big fight from what Owen understood and he heard words like divorce and lawyer – but that her sons would be fine for two days without her.

Claire wasn't able to stay awake for long and fell asleep again and Owen smiled as he watched her peaceful face. She was starting to regain colors and her breathing was normal again. So he scooped up a sleeping Leo in his arms, gently woke Kat and Eli who followed him without questions, rubbing their eyes sleepily and holding hands. The drive back was quiet and the kids didn't even protest going to bed. Once Owen was sure everyone was asleep, he fetched Blue and lied on the couch in the Dearings' living room as sleep slowly crept over him.


	3. Chapter 3

Giggles woke Owen up.

It took him two seconds to realize where he was. He was sleeping on a couch, Blue at the foot of it watching him calmly while Leo scratched her behind the ears. Kat and Eli were giggling behind their brother, one clad in Minnie Mouse red pajamas, the other in blue Donald Duck's.

 _The Dearings, right_. It all came back to him in a flash and he buried his face in a pillow when he saw it was barely seven.

"It should be forbidden to laugh at people so early in the morning," he grumbled.

"We're not laughing at you!" Kat protested.

"We're laughing at Leo because Blue has been licking his face for the past minute!" Eli explained.

Now that he took a closer look, Owen realized that the collar of Leo's Spiderman's pajamas top was wet with dog drool. "It's okay," the boy said, laughing with his sisters as he hugged Blue who looked like the happiest dog alive.

Owen wondered if it was like this every morning at the Dearing household. He could picture Claire waking up early every single day and getting dressed, her hair perfectly framing her face, soon followed by her children. He could imagine them always being on time, always polite and happy. Like the sickeningly perfect family they seemed to be.

But as he got up from the couch, he paid a closer look to the living room. He didn't have that luxury the day before, the first time because he made a bee line for Claire's office and the second time because he was so tired and didn't want to disturb the seeming calmness of the room. He noticed toys here and there and a thin layer of dust on the furniture. One of the glass panels in a corner even had small hand prints on it.

Owen just smiled. No matter how much Claire tried to keep her house perfectly clean, children were just children and would eventually mess it up. It actually reassured him to notice that the Dearings weren't perfect.

"So, hum… what do you guys usually do in the morning?" Owen asked, suddenly unsure of what to do. He had never actually taken care of kids before. Babysitting wasn't his thing and he didn't have any nephews to look after, or children for that matter. It was just him and Blue.

This time, it was Leo who spoke. "It's Sunday and that day we make pancakes with mom!"

"And then we go play outside if the weather is nice!" Kat added.

"Or we go see a movie!" Eli said.

He noticed that, despite their smiles, there was a hint of sadness every single time one of them mentioned Claire.

Owen scratched the back of his neck. He didn't exactly have a plan, besides taking the kids back to see Claire. The doctor would probably release her in the evening and Karen was due to arrive around that time as well. Owen actually wondered what he would do once Claire's sister was there. It's not like he had any major connection with Claire, they just shared a fence and a disastrous first date. There was no reason for him to tag along once Karen would be there.

Brushing these thoughts aside, he stood up. "So, how about we do that and then later you guys can help me prepare the things we have to bring your mom, alright?" All three kids nodded and followed Owen in the kitchen, Blue right behind. She was waggling her tail at Owen's legs until he looked down at her.

"Oh right, her dog food!" He turned towards the children. "Can I trust you to be nice and stay in the house while I go grab some food for Blue?" They all squealed excitedly at the idea of seeing Blue being fed and promised to be good. Owen gave them one last look before he quickly grabbed his keys. He didn't bother walking the whole way down to the street and then back up his own lawn; instead he just jumped above the fence.

But he did take the time to change, not wanting to arrive all sweaty and stinking at the hospital later that day. He grabbed a can of dog food and locked the door again. He was opening the Dearings' front door when a loud crash, some gasps and screams made him rush into the kitchen.

Leo was sitting on the kitchen isle, a bag of flour half ripped in his hands while Eli was arguing with Kat, one girl having an empty egg shell in her hand, the other pointing at the actual egg that had fallen on her bare foot. There was broken glass on the floor next to them and the first thing Owen did was gently push both girls back so they wouldn't walk on it.

"Blue, stay by the door!" he said when the Shepherd got curious. He also didn't want her to hurt herself on the glass or make an even bigger mess than the children already had. "What happened?" he asked as he careful picked up the shards.

"Eli wanted to do the eggs, but I told her we have to wait for you!" Kat said, glaring at her sister.

Eli had thrown the egg shell in the bin and was glaring back at Kat. "We could have started the preparations, Owen doesn't have to do everything for us! We could help, just like we help mom. I always do the eggs!"

"Yes, but mom's usually around to watch us! We can't make pancakes alone!"

"Sure we can!"

"No we can't!"

"Girls, stop it." Owen said, placing each hand on a girl's shoulder, making them look at each other. "You shouldn't argue. Now. I can't say I approve of you cooking alone. Especially since you broke a glass and you could have hurt yourself. And I promised your mother I'd take care of you. So, how about we do it like this: you guys show me how you usually do the pancakes and I'll just watch and help you but only if you want me to."

Eli glared one last time at Kat, then nodded. Owen couldn't help but smile when the two other kids nodded as well and set to work. He hadn't known the kids that well before, but just spending a few hours with them the day before and now, he learned a great deal. He could see that Kat was leaning more towards control and rules, management and organization. While Eli was more energetic but also more reckless, defying the rules and wanting to prove that she could do things even when others didn't believe she could. Both girls shared Claire's personality, but in different ways. As for Leo, he remained silent while his sisters argued, something that probably wasn't a first from the look on his face. Owen helped him up on a chair (Claire would probably have a heart attack at all the flour on his face and clothes) after he washed as much flour off his face as he could. Kat also washed her foot and then her hands, insisting Eli also washed hers, to the girl's visible annoyance.

The pancakes weren't actually that bad, Owen had to admit and he only helped the girls flip them on the pan. Leo dressed them with jam and maple syrup and Owen fed Blue, to the children's delight. After that, Owen insisted the children all take a bath and helped them chose clothes. Once everyone was ready, their teeth brushed and hair combed, they moved to Claire's office.

Owen had to say he was proud of them and also of himself. True, Leo's shirt was askew and had been buttoned unevenly, Eli's red ribbons tied her hair at an odd angle that the girl seemed to like but that made her look like she had a palm tree on her head and Kat's shoelaces were a nightmarish maze, but besides that, they looked fine.

"Ok, so the things we need to bring your mom are fresh clothes, some hygiene products like deodorant I guess and maybe some things she'd like to see? Like, do you think she'd like a picture of you guys, or a book to read until she's released?"

"We can take the picture from her desk, she likes that one a lot," Leo chimed in.

"And her book about that horse rider!"

"The cowboy and the thief?" Kat asked.

Eli nodded. "We should also bring her the dinos."

"What dinos?" Owen asked. He had been following the conversation so far, but he didn't get that one.

"These ones!" Kat said and pointed proudly at the cabinet. On top of it were a dozen small dinosaur origami made with colorful papers. Owen couldn't name all of them, but he had to admit they were really well done. "Last year, Leo was really sick and mom stayed the whole week at home to be with him. She looked a tutorial up on the internet and made the origami T-rex to cheer him up, because Leo loves dinosaurs and so she made all the others too."

Owen smiled. He could picture Claire sitting down for hours, focused on folding neatly the tiny piece of paper until it was perfect. The only time Owen had tried to fold an origami, he had ripped the paper in half out of frustration in the middle of it.

He was extra careful when he put the origami in her bag, and then added the book Eli gave him. As he leaned on her desk to grab the picture standing there, he couldn't help but notice the importance of the papers littering her desk. He didn't look too long, not wanting to be nosy, but he saw enough to understand Claire was about to close some kind of important deal. He'd have to tell that to Karen, so she could warn her boss Claire was not coming to work for a solid week and that they had to close that deal on their own. Knowing Claire, she'd try to finish it, but Owen hoped Karen would be able to prevent Claire from exhausting herself again.

He also saw a small paper notebook with a list in Claire's neat handwriting. Most of those tasks were common house chores, there was a bit of work but the thing that came back several times was "spend time with stars".

That's the moment Kat decided to come into the office and saw his confused face.

"What are you looking at?" she asked while Leo and Eli were looking for Claire's clothes.

"Why did she put "stars" in it? What does it mean?"

Kat smiled. "It means us: Leo, Eli and I. Mom always says we are her stars."

Kat then grabbed him by the hand and led him out of the office. "Come on, Owen, Eli and Leo have chosen her clothes already!"


End file.
